Reinforcing pivot hinge

ABSTRACT

A FIRST HINGE PORTION INCLUDES A FLAT LEAF PORTION WHICH IS ATTACHED TO A SURFACE OF A DOOR BY SUITABLE BOLTS AND THE LIKE. A FLANGE PORTION IS PROVIDED AT THE UPPER EDGE OF THE FIRST HINGE PORTION AND EXTENDS GENERALLY NORMAL THERETO. A SECOND HINGE PORTION INCLUDES A LEAF PORTION ATTACHED TO A FACE OF A FRAME BY SUITABLE ATTACHING MEMBERS. A FLANGE PORTION IS PROVIDED AT THE LOWER EDGE OF THE SECOND HINGE PORTION AND EXTENDS GENERALLY NORMALLY THERETO. THE FLANGE PORTIONS OF THE TWO HINGE PORTIONS ARE PIVOTALLY INTERCONNECTED WITH ONE ANOTHER BY A PIVOT PIN IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE USUAL BUTT HINGES SUPPORTING THE DOOR FROM THE FRAME.

` Feb. 9, 1911:.-

Filed Aug. 2e. 196el I fa. lat-:mman` l vRrJMcSRcING PIvoT HINGE v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 THOMAS M. BENNETT T I )77ML ATTORNEYS Feb,9, 1971 T. BENNETT 3,561,033

- I, l m-:INFoRcING PIVOT HINGE Filed Aug. 28. 196e i K 2 sheets-sheet 2 ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,561,038 REINFORCIN G PIVOT HINGE Thomas M. Bennett, 4157 Circle Court, Williamsville, N.Y. 14221 Filed Aug. 28, 1968, Ser. No. 755,865 Int. Cl. Ed 9/00 U.S. Cl. 16-128 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A first hinge portion includes a llat leaf portion which is attached to a surface of a door by suitable bolts and the like. A flange portion is provided at the upper edge of the first hinge portion and extends generally normal thereto. A second hinge portion includes a leaf portion attached to a face of a frame by suitable attaching members. A llange portion is provided at the lower edge of the second hinge portion and extends generally normally thereto. The llange portions of the two hinge portions are pivotally interconnected with one another by a pivot pin in alignment with the usual butt hinges supporting the door from the haine.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 'I'he present invention relates to a reinforcing pivot hinge adapted to be employed with a relatively heavy door. The weight of a heavy door applies the greatest stress to the top one of the conventional butt hinges supporting the door from an associated frame. When an additional force such as a chain stop or an overhead holder is applied, the top hinge frequently fails and/or the screws holding the hinge in place are pulled loose.

Reinforcing pivot hinges as employed in the prior art require special door and frame mortising and reinforcing and such arrangements are not practicable for use with a standard metal door and frame installation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is adapted to be employed with any new or existing door and frame, made either of wood or metal, the only requirement being that the center of the pivot pin of the present invention be properly aligned with the center of the conventional hinge pins so that the door will swing properly.

The reinforcing pivot hinge of the present invention is specially adapted for use with a hollow metal door and a pressed steel frame. The pivot hinge is mounted at the top of the door which also of course has associated therewith a plurality of conventional butt hinges for swingingly supporting the door from a frame.

The present invention can be readily mounted to provide additional reinforcement to the standard hinge arrangement at a point where it is most needed and without the necessity of special preparation of either the door or the associated frame. Both the hinge pin and the attaching screws of the reinforcing pivot hinge of the present invention are in shear when stress is applied thereto.

The hinge of the present invention includes a pair of hinge portions which are surface mounted in a very simple and effective manner on adjacent door and frame portions. The frame-engaging portion of the second hinge portion is counterbored on the rear surface thereof adjacent holes for receiving fastening members whereby a portion of a Molly Iacknut or blind anchor is adapted to be received when it is necessary to employ this type of fastener as when pressed steel frames are employed.

Each of the two hinge portions includes a substantially normally extending flange portion, and a pivot means is interconnected between these two llange portions to pro- 3,561,038 Patented Feb. 9, 1971 vide an elfective pivotal interconnection therebetween in a simple and expeditious manner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. l is a front View partially broken away of a door and associated frame including the reinforcing pivot hinge of the present invention; r

FIG. 2 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken substantially along line 2-2 of FIG. l looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view on 'an' enlarged scale taken substantially along line 3-3 of FIG. l looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged front view of the reinforcing pivot hinge shown in FIG. l;

FIG. 5 is a sectional View taken substantially along line 5--5 of FIG. 4 looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIG. 6 is a top exploded perspective view illustrating the pivot means of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED- EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, as seen in FIG. l, a door is indicated by reference numeral 10, this door being in the illustrated embodiment a standard metal door. The door is suspended from a frame indicated generally by reference numeral 12 and including a pair of vertically extending side portions 14 and 16 and a horizontally extending top portion 18 extending between the upper ends of portions 14 and 16. The door is swingably supported from the frame portion 16 by a plurality of conventional butt hinges 20.

The reinforcing pivot hinge includes a first hinge portion indicated generally by reference numeral 30 comprising a substantially flat door-engaging leaf portion 32 having a plurality of holes formed therethrough, each of these holes being countersunk at the forward surface thereof for receiving machine screws 34 and 36. The machine screws 34 as seen most clearly in FIG. 5 lit snugly within the associated countersunk holes and are threaded through a suitable hole provided in the forward surface of the door 10. On the other hand, the machine screws 36 may be threaded into suitable members inserted from the opposite side ofthe door so as to ensure that they will not pull out during use.

The first hinge portion includes a flange portion 40 at the upper edge thereof extending generally normally to the leaf portion 32. This liange portion is disposed in a substantially horizontal plane when in use and as seen in FIG. 3 is of tapered configuration in such horizontal plane, and includes an offset portion 42 having a hole 44 therein for receiving a part of the pivot pin hereinafter described.

The second hinge portion indicated generally by refere'nce numeral 50 includes a substantially flat frameengaging leaf portion 52 which is secured to the associated frame portions by a plurality of blind anchors or Molly Iacknuts indicated by reference numeral `5.4. This type of attaching means is necessary where a pressed steel frame is used and access is not readily available to the interior of the frame. It will be noted that the pivot hinge of the present invention is a surface mounted arrangement wherein each of the flat leaf portions is attached to the forwardly facing surface of a door and an adjacent frame.

As seen most clearly in FIG. 5, the tapered head of each of the attaching members 54 lits within a countersunk portion in the forward face of leaf portion 52 adjacent to the holes therein for receiving the attaching members. In addition, the rear surface of leaf portion 52 is counterbored as indicated at 60 to receive the portion 62 of the attaching means as seen most clearly in FIG. 5.

The second hinge portion includes a flange portion 70 extending substantially normally from the leaf portion 52, this flange portion 70 as seen most clearly in FIG. 4 being disposed substantially parallel with the flange portion 40 and also lying in a horizontal plane. As seen most clearly in FIG. 2, this flange portion 70` is also tapered in a horizontal plane and includes an end portion 71 having a hole 72 formed therethrough within which is press fitted a bronze bushing 74. This bushing has a central cylindrical bore 76 formed therethrough as seen in FIG. 6.

A pivot pin indicated generally by reference numeral 80 includes an enlarged head 82 having a socket 84 formed therein for receiving an Allen wrench or the like. The pivot pin also includes a reduced shank portion the lower part 86 of which is threaded, and the upper part 88 of which is provided with a smooth cylindrical outer surface received within the bore 76 of the bronze bushing and rotatable with respect thereto.

The hole 44 formed in flange portion 40 is threaded, and the threaded portion 86 of the pivot pin is threaded within hole 44. A star lock washer 90 is interposed between the enlarged head 82 and the undersurface of flange 44 locking the pivot pin in the operative position shown in FIG. 5.

When the pivot pin is mounted in the position shown in FIG. 5, the upper portion 88 thereof is adapted to rotate within the bronze bushing 74, and in this manner, the pivot pin provides a pivotal interconnection between the flange portions of the two hinge portions. -It is apparent that this pivot means can be readily mounted in the operative position illustrated, and likewise may be readily disassembled when so desired.

As this invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, the present embodiment is therefore illustrative and not restrictive, and since the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims, all changes that fall within the metes and bounds of the claims or that form their functional as well as conjointly cooperative equivalents are therefore intended to be embraced by those claims.

I claim:

1. A reinforcing pivot hinge for use in conjunction with conventional door mounting hinges to reinforce the hinged mounting of heavy doors to prevent excessive strain and subsequent failure of either the conventional mounting hinges, the door frame, or the door; a first reinforcing hinge portion including a generally flat rectangular door engaging leaf portion to be mounted in the upper corner of a door on the vertical face thereof, a longitudinally extending flange on the upper marginal edge of said leaf and extending normally therefrom, a pivot-pinreceiving opening through said flange adjacent one end thereof, a pivot pin through said opening and adapted to be disposed in vertical axial alignment with the vertical axis of the conventional mounting hinge pins when said reinforcing hinge is mounted on a door; and

a second reinforcing hinge portion including a generally flat rectangular frame engaging leaf portion to be mounted on the face of a door frame at an upper corner thereof adjacent said first reinforcing hinge portion when mounted on a door, said leaf portion extending longitudinally past the hinged edge of a door mounted in said frame end beyond the corner of said frame to reinforce the corner portion of the frame to which said reinforcing hinge is mounted, a longitudinally extending flange on the bottom marginal edge of said frame engaging leaf portion and extending normally therefrom, a pivotpin-receiving opening in said flange adjacent one end thereof disposed intermediate the ends of said leaf portion and through which said pivot pin is received in vertical axial alignment when said second reinforcing hinge portion is mounted in operative position on a door and door frame adjacent said first reinforcing hinge portion, said reinforcing pivot hinge being readily mounted upon the respective surfaces of a door and frame without requiring the use of special tools or mortise joints and the like and serving to reinforce the conventional hinged mounting of doors.

2. A reinforcing pivot hinge as in claim 1, wherein means are provided for attaching the frame-engaging leaf portion to an associated frame, said means comprising a plurality of holes through said leaf portion, said leaf portion counterbored on the rear surface thereof adjacent said holes to accommodate means for attaching the frameengaging leaf portion to an associated frame.

3. The reinforcing pivot hinge as defined in claim 1 wherein said pivot pin has a shank portion, one part of which is threaded, the pivot-pin receiving opening in one of said flange portions being threaded for receiving the threaded part of said pivot pin.

4. The reinforcing pivot hinge as defined in claim 3 wherein said pivot pin has an enlarged head, the threaded part of said shank being disposed adjacent said enlarged head.

5. The reinforcing pivot hinge as defined in claim 4 wherein the part of said shank portion of the pivot pin remote from said enlarged head defines a relatively smooth cylindrical outer surface.

6. The reinforcing pivot hinge as defined in claim 5 including a bushing disposed within the pivot-pin-receiving opening in one of said flanges, said smooth cylindrical part of the shank portion of the pivot pin being received within said bushing.

7. The reinforcing pivot hinge as defined in claim 1 wherein each of the flange portions of said first and second hinge portions is disposed substantially parallel with one another and is normally disposed in a horizontal plane when mounted in operative position, said flange portions being of tapered configuration in said horizontal planes.

8. The reinforcing pivot hinge as defined in claim 1 including means for attaching each of said leaf portions to the associated door or frame includes a plurality of holes formed through the associated leaf portions, said leaf portions being countersunk on the forward surface of said leaf portions adjacent said holes.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,271,235 7/1918 Smith 16-135 2,067,561 l/l937 Clarke 16-128 2,828,668 4/1958 De Angelis 16--128 3,299,573 l/l967 Gustafson l6-135 BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner DORIS C. TROUTMAN, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 16-135 

